Succulovely

Like the rest of the world, I am having a bit of a love affair with succulents. That’s one good thing that came out of 2016, right?? 

I have been trying my hand at propagating lately (growing new baby succulents from old ones), and it’s so fun – and surprisingly quicker than I expected too. I love putting together little planter collections – I have one at work and a couple at home, so now I have started giving them to people as gifts. I made the one in the photos last year for a friend of mine at work. 

I’m not 100% certain that the ones I have labelled aeonium and jovibara are correct – I think they are, but I am definitely no botanist. That’s why I like succulents – you don’t have to be a botanist to keep them alive. 

Echeverias are my absolute favourite succulent – they grow so fast, and I haven’t had one die on me yet. I haven’t really had much luck with propagating them, but they produce loads of babies (‘chicks’ as they are commonly called) that can be removed and planted. The chicks start producing their own chicks in no time. I have a new succulent garden that I’ve just established at home, and it’s already filled with about 50 echeverias, all from two mother plants. All you need to do to remove the chicks is lift up the lower leaves of the mother (the ‘hen’) and gently detach the stalk of the chick at its base, then plant it. Couldn’t be easier. 

The kalanchoe kiwis are the easiest to propagate by far – all you have to do is remove a leaf and place it on the dirt, and you’ll have two or four new plants sprouting in no time. They grow very fast too – they are taking over my planters.

All these succulents love the sun, and although they don’t need to be watered often, they grow much faster if they are. When they get plenty of sun, they start turning red and pink (except for the echeverias, which turn blue!). 

I love the idea of growing plants from other plants – it’s a great way to fill your garden on a budget. Plus I reckon my little homegrown babies make a pretty cute gift – or wedding favour! If you got started early enough, you could grow your own favours and not spend a cent! Now if only I’d had that idea before my wedding… ;)